Driving mechanism for mining machines



April 22, 1952 M. G. MILLER 2,594,195

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MINING MACHINES Filed April 5, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Myron G-Mp'ller. BY

ATTORNEY April 22, 1952 M. G. MILLER 2,594,195

DRIVING MECHANISM FORMINING MACHINES Filed April 5, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Myron G. Miller.

ATTURN Y April 22, 1952 M. G. MILLER 2,594,195

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MINING MACHINES Filed April 5, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 a INVENTOR. M yrorz G. Miller.

Patented Apr. 22, 1952 DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MINING MACHINES Myron G. Miller, Springs, Pa.

Application April 5, 1949, Serial No. 85,498

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in driving mechanism for coal undercutting machines and more particularly to an improved drive for a machine such as is illustrated and described in Patent No. 2,094,218, issued to Gideon D. Miller on September 28, 1937.

The drive arrangement of the aforementioned patent was developed to not only rotatably drive the usual forwardly extending augers, but also to develop a power drive for the ground engaging wheels for supporting the machine to move it to different locations. This transportation arrangement has proven very desirable; However, these machines are very dangerous to move from one location to another, particularly under their own tractive power as heretofore there was no means provided to discontinue the operation of the augers during transmission of driving power to the ground wheels for movement to another location.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a novel drive for the augers of a coal undercutting machine, whereby thepower to the angers and the ground wheels may be selectively and independently controlled, so that one or the other may be rendered inoperative as desired by an operator.

Another object is to provide in an undercutting machine, comprising a bank of aligned cutting augers, a centrally proportioned auger clutch control and an adjacently mounted traction wheel clutch control drive adapted to both be independently driven from the same main reduction gear drive.

With these and other objects in view, the in vention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly summarized in the appended claims. 7

' In the drawings like parts throughout the several views are given like numerals and are thus identified in the following detailed description.

Fig. 1 is a top horizontal cross sectional view of a machine for undercutting coal showing the separate auger and traction wheel drives and the novel arrangement for connecting and disconnecting the same for independent operation.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine showing a portion of the forward projecting angers.

V Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of an interconnecting gear train mounted in a spacer plate for driving connection between the shaft extensions of the central auger and the shaft extension of an adjacent side auger for key-mounting the combined beveled gear and clutch for th drive to the ground wheels. r Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the drive gear and auger shaft for the auger drive and clutch arrangement.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the drive gears and second auger shaft extension of one of the side augers for the traction wheel-gear drive-and clutch arrangement.

Referring in detail to the several views of the drawing and first with particular reference .to Fig. 1, the drive unit for the augers 9 is generally indicated by A and the adjacent-drive for the traction wheels of the machine is generally indicated by B. These two drives are operatively connected through means of gears I0, 11 I, I2 and I3 mounted in a spacer plate on the machine frame. Each of these gears is connected to a portion of one of the auger shafts as will now be explained.

The first of these gears 10, see both Figs. 1 and 4, is formed with a sleeve l4 to which is keyed a main drive gear 15 by means of a key Hi. .This gear [5 is formed with aiset of clutch teeth II on its side face opposite from the gear I0 andis driven by a chain sprocket drive l8 actuated by a motor I9, see Fig. 2. This chain and sprocket drive is connected by a shaft 20 to reduction gear.- ing such as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. of the Miller Patent No. 2,090,355, dated August 1'7, 1937. The sleeve l4 and the main drivegear 15 are mounted on an extension of a centrally located auger shaft 21 to the lower end of which is keyed a splined sleeve 22 by means of a key 23. On this splined sleeve 22 is mounted a clutch collar 24 formed with similar splines on its internal bore to interengage with those formed on the exterior to said sleeve 22. The clutch collar 24 is formed with clutch teeth 25 which are adapted to interengage with the clutch teeth I! formed on the face of the main gear l5.

' A retaining cup 26 formed with an opening fits over the end of this auger shaft extension which at its top end is reduced to form a shoulder '21 and abuts against this shoulder.

To retain the cup in position against shoulder 21 there. is-provided a conical bushing 28 which is the inner race of a ball bearing 28 held in place over the said reduced end by a'clutch actuator support member 29 formed with. elongated grooves extending axially with respect'to the axis of the auger shaft 2 I. These grooves are adapted to receive clutch actuating arms 30 and 3| formed with hooked ends which. project into an annular 'as in. Patent No. 2,094,218.

groove 34 around the circumference of the clutch sleeve 24. The ends of the arms 30 and 3| project beyond the bottom of the member 29 and are connected together by a cross bar 35. This bar is formed intermediate its ends with a ball socket for the purpose of receiving the ball connection 36 of the clutch actuating rod 37. The clutch rod 37 is rocked by means of lever 38. Rocking of rod 3'iwill raise and lower the arms 33 and 3! in the groove and thereby longitudinally move the clutch sleeve 24 along the splined sleeve 22 to conmeet and disconnect the cooperative clutch teeth 25 thereof with the teeth I! on the main drive gear l5. 7 r

The idler gear II is in mesh with gear iii and is mounted loosely on a stub extension as, see

Fig. 1, of the adjacent auger shaft. Gear ii also i meshes with the similarly mounted idler gear 12 which is also on a stub shaft extension 6! of the next aligned auger shaft. This gear 52 in its turn meshes with the last of the four gears, namely,

' gear l3 of the traction drive unit )3.

The gear I3 is formed with a sleeve extension and. is looselymounted on an extended portion 42 of the next auger shaft in line. This extended sleeve portion is formed with longitudinal splines 4'4; see Fig. 5, for the purpose of receiving an internally'splined clutch sleeve 36. The sleeve at is provided with clutch teeth t? on its face opposite from the gear 13 and is formed with an annular groove similar to that of clutch sleeve 24 to receive end hooked arms 52 and 53, which are actuatedby'hand lever 54 in the same manner as describedlin connectionwith the end hooked arms 3fl and'3 l;.

Abutting against the end of the splined sleeve 48 is a clutch plate 49 of a transmitting bevel gear 48-, which gearis loosely mounted to revolve on areduced end of the auger shaft extension 62 and is held against-longitudinal thrust by lock washer-:49 and'nut49 Thus; normally'when power is imparted from the main drive gear i5 and gear E9 or sleeve l4 through idler gears H and E2 to drive gear 13, this gear i3 will idly turn on the extension l! without imparting any drive to the bevel gear 38. Thisi-isprovided it is not clutched with the clutch teeth 50' formed on' the plate- 5i formed the top'of'said'bevelgear 48. I

The bevel gear 48, meshes with bevel gears 55 and 56 mounted upon a jack shaft 5?, see Fig. 1'. Thejack shaft 51 is supported between a side platelifland a bearing support 59. Also, the bevel gears 55 andbi are. rotatable in opposite directions, thegear 55 beingused as the reverse and the-gear 56- used as the forward driving gear for the traction drive. shaft Bil.

The? traction Wheel drive-shaft as has the same geanmembersfor imparting drive to the sprocket wheels 6'! andBZ keyed to opposite-ends thereof For example, the counter shaft 60, as it is defined in this patent application, extends transversely of the machine and beyond the side plate 58 of each side and is journalled in these plates in bearing supports to serve as mountings for. the sprocketrwheels 6!. The sprocket wheelv on each extended endof the counter shaft: drivesa sprocket chain 63 and a relatively largesprocket wheel as. keyed to the traction wheel axle -65.

The" ge rs'for the forward drive of the tractionwheels-fiti take-off from bevel gear 55 through gear wheel '6'! revolving with it on the jack shaft 5-1 and drives a gear 68 mounted to revolve on theeounter shaftfifl A gearfit revolves with gear transmit power.

68 on counter shaft 60, and gear 68 in turn'drives gear 10 on the jack shaft 51. Turning with gear 10 is the gear H which drives the gear 72 revoluble upon the countershaft and also with respect to the gear 68.

Gears 68 and 12 are formed on their respective outer faces with toothed hubs l3 and 14, respectively, which hubs are slidable on a splined portion of the shaft 60 to provide for forward and reverse'driving connections to the drive chains 53 and traction wheels 66, as illustrated and described in Patent 2,094,218.

Operation.

The improved machine of the present invention may now be driven under its own power to and from mine locations without the dangerous continued rotation of the forwardly extending augers 9'. For example, when the clutch'member 24 is de-clutched from the clutch teeth I! of the main. drive gear 15 there is no drive imparted to the auger shaft extension 2|. 'T'his is becausethesleeve M, which carries the gear Ill and to which; the drive gear 15 is keyed, is loose on the shaft extension 21 and rotates freely thereon unless clutched to the splined sleeve 22 keyed to the-shaft 24.

Drive, however, is transmitted from gear it through gears II, 1.2: and I3 to sleeve 44 and clutch sleeve 46 splined thereon. Now, when the clutch 46 is actuated by lever 54 to engage the clutch teeth of bevel drive'gear 48 power is imparted to gears 55 and 56, which gears, as explained, may be. alternately clutchedinto either forward or reverse drivingconnectionwith the countershaft. 60 to actuate the chain drives of each of the ground wheels and the machine is thus transportable with the angers idle.

Obviously, to start the auger ii in action all that is necessary is to engage the clutch 2 1 with the teeth I! on the main drive gear 15. V This imparts drive through the splined sleeve 22keyed directly to the shaft extension 2}. When the augers are started the. traction power mechanism 3 may be de-clutched' and the several gears, ll, I2, la'sleeve and clutch 45 rotate but doInot Also, if desired, the ground wheels may be regulated to provide tractio-nwhil'e the angers v9 are in action by throwing in the clutch by lever 54.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of. the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled the art, and it will of course be understood thatchangeS in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and scopeof the appended claims. a

I claim:

,1. l an-undercu ti g mining-machine havin a r lity of forwardlyproje t ng power driven an ers and power driven ground whe ls; 'ind pendentdrive means, for said angers and said ground wheels, each of said drive means being mounted .on' a rearwardly projectingshaftaextension of one of the said angers, one of said shaft extensions mounting a main power gear; an. auger drive ear and aclutch, av gear train r ven y said main powerf ear ada ted to inr Clutch member rotatable: by saidgear train and main power gear, and clutch actuating means for connecting said combined clutch and wheel drive gear into driving connection with said gear train through said second clutch member independently of said auger drive gear.

2. In a coal undercutting machine having a frame, ground engaging wheels mounted on each side of the frame, a plurality of forwardly extending angers and means for operating the angers, said means comprising a rearwardly extending shaft from one of the angers, a gear formed with a sleeve rotatable on the shaft, a source of power, a power driven gear keyed to the sleeve driven from said power source, clutch teeth formed on a face of said power driven gear, a clutch member slidable into and out'of engagement with said clutch teeth for driving the said angers, and means for imparting power to said ,driving wheels from said power driven gear.

3. In a coal undercutting machine having a frame, ground engaging wheels mounted on each side of the frame, a plurality of forwardly extending angers and means for operating the angers, said means comprising a rearwardly extending shaft from one of the angers, a gear formed with a sleeve rotatable on the shaft, a source of power, a power driven gear keyed to the sleeve driven from said power source, clutch teeth formed on a face of said power driven gear, a clutch member slidable into and out of engagement with said clutch teeth for driving the said angers, means for driving said ground wheels, and a gear train mounted to revolve in said frame for imparting power from said power driven gear to said last named means for driving said ground wheels.

4. In a coal undercutting machine having a frame, ground engaging wheels mounted on said side of the frame, a plurality of forwardly extending angers and means for operating the angers, said means comprising a rearwardly extending shaft from one of the angers, a gear formed with a sleeve rotatable on the shaft, a source of power, a power driven gear keyed to the sleeve driven from said power source, clutch teeth formed on a face of said power driven gear, a clutch member slidable into and out of engagement with said clutch teeth for driving the said angers, means for driving said ground wheels, a gear train mounted to revolve in said frame for imparting power from said power driven gear to said last named means for driving said ground wheels, and manually controlled clutch means for rendering the said last-named means inactive, if desired, to drive the ground wheels.

MYRON G. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,915,001 McKinnon June 20, 1933 2,094,218 Miller Sept. 28, 1937 

